Red As Blood
by Lady Geuna
Summary: Sequel to Black As Pitch: Clubbing? Dancing? Haru drags Kyou into some places and situations he's never been in before. The elder Sohmas rush in before Kyou and Haru cause any more trouble then they have, but they too get dragged down... HaruxKyou, others
1. Intro

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE STUCK WITH ME!

It really means a lot to me that many of you have added me to your fav author/stories lists, and some of you have actually gone on to read other fics (other than Fruits Basket) because you like my writing style. T__T I've even had someone ask me if they would post "White As Snow" and "Charmed Curses" (Harry Potter) on their _website_! HOW COOL IS THAT! That means so, so much...

Thank you to all of you who have lived with my bad grammar, which I have tried so hard to fix and improve on. and thank you to **Kat Ishida**, who's working as by beta, one of my best friends and the nicest sister/house pet (^__~) anyone could ever ask for. lol And also to **WitchesRaven**, another great sister, and a supporter of Haru/Kyou... especially when they find themselves in interesting positions... ~_~' She is the living female version of Ayame. Seriously.

This is a very, very short recap for those who rather skip to this part of the fic, rather than read all the way through "White As Snow" or "Black As Pitch". No great details are given, but plot is given away. 

If you rather read these stories for yourself, please turn back now or be spoiled.

White As Snow: 

Haru ends up wandering to Shigure's house during a snowstorm, where Kyou is alone in the house, and Shigure, Tohru and Yuki are traps elsewhere. Kyou is suffering from sleep exhaustion from trying to study for tests, and is constantly pestered by Haru to go to bed before he becomes ill in the cold weather. During a few very acquired moments and a few rather comical mishaps, Haru ends up talking about a past love (canon, true story) that nearly destroyed him. In turn, Kyou ends up revealing some very honorable traits and opinions that make Haru see him in a very different light... The two decide mutually to become "friends" like in the old days before Yuki. The next day everyone returns to the house, and ends with Haru leaving and doing something that leaves Kyou very puzzled. Haru kisses him on the cheek...

Black As Pitch:

It's been a week since Haru left with Hatori for the main house. Kyou hadn't really seen or talked to him directly since, and though they called themselves "friends" before, Kyou begins to question it all until Haru comes by the house asking to train with him. Kyou agrees to spare with him and toward the end of the session Kyou asks why Haru had been ignoring him for the past week, and Haru responds with a kiss... Turmoil erupts and Kyou leaves him outside to think. Thanks to a little outside help, instead of leaving himself, Haru stays find and talk to Kyou. They start talking about why they fell out of their friendship when they were younger, and Haru trys to explain why he now likes Kyou the way he does, while Kyou doesn't really understand what love is at all. They leave each other as friends (still), though Haru silently keeps his still burning crush a secret to only himself and Momiji. Shigure personally plans to get the two together, however, convinced the two would make the perfect couple, while Yuki is worried about Kyou breaking Haru's heart, and Tohru just wishes Haru and Kyou would both find happiness with each other in some way. Once Haru returns to the main house, he runs into Momiji's and then Akito, who is suspicious of Haru's actions as of late, and threatens the young Jyuunishi of the main house (Momiji, Kisa and Hiro) if he doesn't straighten up....

Red As Blood: (This story)

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Teaser, "Red As Blood": Haru spends more and more time with Kyou in hopes that the neko will fall for him without drawing Akito's attention. They also must watch for Akito's closest servant, Sohma Kureno (another lovely, angsty canon character only shown in the magna), the isolated and obedient rooster of the Jyuunishi, who had been asked to watch the two closely until the day of Kyou's graduation and imprisonment. However, due to Shigure's matchmaking hints, Haru drags Kyou to a "Dark Impulse" theme nightclub in the city a few weeks after the events of "Black As Pitch". It leads Kyou into some places and situations he's never been before, and Haru in the end isn't always there to help him out. When situations get to intense, and Black Haru goes berserk, it becomes harder and harder to make sure Akito is left in the dark... But this may be just the push Kyou needs... or is it?


	2. Red As Blood

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all characters within are NOT mine. T__T Dang…

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Aaaaand the glorious struggle to get Haru and Kyou hooked up continues... will they find a conclusion!? WAIT AND SEE! ^__^

Note: KYOU AND HARU IN TIGHT BLACK CLOTHING!!! YESSSS! (pumps fist into air and.... stops...) Er... *ahem* Excuse me...

Er... Read and Review? ^__^'

Geuna~

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Title: Red As Blood

Part Three of the "White As Snow, Black As Pitch" Series

Author: Lady Geuna

Rating: PG-13 - Pairings: -- Haru/Kyou, one-sided Shigure/Hatori!???? 0_o' Possibly others shown or hinted.

Genre: Drama/Humor/General

Full Summary: Clubbing? Dancing!? Haru drags Kyou into some places and situations he's never been before, and as the elders Sohma's rush in before he and Haru cause any more trouble then they have, they also get dragged down as well…

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Red As Blood: "A Friendly Game of 'Chicken'"

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The time…

Mid February… 

Four weeks since the snowstorm hit… 

Four weeks since Haru wandered to Shigure's house when Kyou was home alone.

Three weeks since the day he returned, and ever since Haru and Kyou could be seen together on school grounds, alone, though either in silence, speaking in light conversation, or batting insults at each other. No one could quite figure out what their relationship was based on. _No_ one. Uotani suspected something and Hanajima got a strange and different vibe from them, though she wasn't sure it was a good wave or bad wave... for they both still had a strange darkness within them...

Now, don't be mistaken... sometime during the last three weeks Hatsuharu had made a decision. If he couldn't have a real relationship with Kyou, he would settle for friendship. So friendship is all he asked for, and all he received... yes, another part of him was less than willing at agree, but Black Haru hadn't come out recently to argue again a platonic relationship with Kyou.

Kyou didn't mind at all, though several other Sohmas were disappointed but with high hopes for the future... part of him was a little... something... not a good something at all, but he was confused as to what made Haru change his mind about him. But at least he was totally comfortable in Haru's presence.

They did what friends do... They talked, watched TV, throw empty insults. "Hanging out" as Haru put it.

Haru hadn't made any other moves on Kyou the whole time. As far as Kyou was concerned, Haru's "crush" on him was all in the past, and Kyou actually enjoyed spending time with someone he could talk to. Shigure, and several other house members, however, would catch Haru giving Kyou a longing look, or a quiet smile, though they were mostly certain that Haru did it unconsciously.

Shigure was not hindered in his efforts to get the two together... the efforts were usually in the form or proclaiming Kyou and Haru's passion for each other so everyone in the house could hear him.... He stopped doing this almost immediately, for the second time he tried getting Haru and Kyou to "confess" he mention some very... raunchy subjects for which Shigure received a nasty black eye. While Yuki agreed (shockingly) with Kyou on his actions, Tohru of course went into full panic and got the dog an icepack.

Haru came by every other day. The days in between he would spend at the main house with Momiji, Kisa, and Hiro, and so much the same thing that he did with Kyou.

Haru hadn't forgotten what Akito had said to him... though he hadn't told anyone but Momiji. He didn't want anyone else to know that Akito was threatening him. But as far as Akito knew, he went to Shigure's house only to study for his English class, which he was suddenly failing in miserably...

After a while Haru simply walked home with Kyou, Tohru and Yuki after school to save Hatori the drive from the main house (he'd practically become Haru's personal coffer in the recent weeks). Also as a result of having Haru around, Yuki made it a habit of watching them or being present in the room with them. Why? Kyou have no earthly idea, but luckily he wasn't that annoying, and usually left when Haru asked him to...

But who cared why the mouse was acting like that, Yuki was a freak after all. Besides, everything was good in the world! Kyou was always in a (relatively) good mood, and Haru had yet to Black Out on him.

But maybe it wasn't such a good idea for Kyou to block out Haru's interests, or for Haru to forget his own feelings for Kyou, or for either of them to forget the threat of Black Haru... 

Because they were both about to be reminded of all of these in a really big way...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Club Insomnia (1).

One of the top five high-intensity clubs here in the city, and Kyou didn't seem happy about being there at all. Haru was hoping he could change the neko's mind.

The sun had set, it was about eight p.m., and after standing in the line for over an hour they had finally reached the entrance. Two large, really ugly looking men were arguing over whether or not to let the group of three in front of them into the club. Fifteen minutes passed, and at last the three were sent away, though not before throwing a few punches and yelling a few profanities.

Haru smiled at Kyou, who had refused to look him in the face since they'd gotten in line. After he had become bored with staring at the neon sign that was set against the brick exterior of the club, Kyou's became to wonder, up the stone steps, and through the huge wooden double doors that lead into the club. Lights flashed to either side of a large hotel desk where a young woman sat handing out pamphlets to people coming in and out. The woman was dressed in a ridiculous tiny red outfit, considering how cold the weather still was... she actually made eye contact with him and winked.

Haru in turn also caught her eyes, sending the most threatening look he could manage, though Kyou reacted to her distance come-on with a snort and a shrug, turning his eyes away. Haru nodded in satisfaction, though Kyou didn't seem at all happy now.

"I hate you, baka-oushi," he muttered.

"Want to back out now, baka-neko," Haru asked rhetorically, grinning. Before Kyou had a chance to respond, Haru pushed him forward. They were next...

Haru watched as the bouncer eyed the next two boys in line warily: 

Haru himself was wearing what he usually wore, perfect for this sort of occasion. Earrings, assorted necklaces, black plealther pants, biker boots, a sleeveless shirt (with a white cross sewn over the heart) and a white J-pop trench coat. He had, however, thought to wear the new addition of fishnets underneath. Something new, something cool. 

Something Kyou had made a face at. 

Kyou... Now, Kyou looked very different. And it had been quite a challenge getting him that way...

__

***Flashback*** 

Haru shifted through Kyou's drawers looking for just the right things... In other words, anything black. Kyou, however, didn't have many clothes at all, and fewer black items than he thought. Haru himself... well, everything he had was black... 

He held up a pair of black cargo pants now. "I didn't know you had these in black..."

Kyou snorted from his position against the opposite wall, arms crossed. "So? It's black_, so what?"_

Haru shrugged, throwing the pants over. "It'll have to do if and when we find something better."

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?"

"Do you have to look for an insult in everything I say?"

"YES!"

Haru sighed. "Just put them on, ne?" He turned back around to look for a shirt, and soon came across one. It was long-sleeved, black. "Here." He threw that over to Kyou as well. He waited a minute without turning around to give Kyou some_ privacy, listening to the rustle of cloth as Kyou changed, then-_

"I can't wear this!"

Blink. "Why not?" Haru glanced back to see Kyou had put on the cargoes, but was topless and scowling at the shirt be as refusing to put on. Haru couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the neko's bare chest... 

"You look nice..." 

He quickly corrected himself when Kyou gave him one of his "looks". "I mean, with the shirt on_ you'd look nice.." He liked Kyou without the shirt better..._

Kyou scowled. "I'm not a GOTH!!! And this shirt's too small, it shrunk in the wash a long time ago."

"If you were never planning on wearing it ever again, why keep it?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"I think it'll fit just fine."

"On a ten-year-old! I won't be able to get it over my head_!"_

"I'll help you-"

"IYA (NO)!!!" He backed up against the wall farthest from Haru, eyes promising instantaneous, horrible death. "DON'T COME NEAR ME, KISAMA BAKA-OUSHI! Don't start that again!"

Haru rolled his eyes. Did he always have to overreact? "If it rips we can sew it." He smiled. "Or use duct tape."

"... Duct tape?"

__

"Actually, that would make a good look... You have to look right for a club like this, you know. The dress code is basically anything black. And I'll promise to pay you back if we have to ruin your shirt, even though it's too small and you never planned on wearing it again anyway..."

"I am not_ wearing duct tape."_

"And your hair-"

"What about my hair!?" Kyou was now struggling to get into the shirt, cursing. "DAMMIT! I knew it!"

"Do you want me to-"

"IYA!"

"Hai..."

When at last Kyou got his head through the collar his face was bright red, hair mussed and pointed in every direction. "One of these days, Haru," he muttered darkly, "one of these days..."

Haru shook his head, closing the drawers one at a time, reorganizing things as best he could. "I didn't get you lost in a shirt, Kyou, you did that all by yourself." While Kyou cursed at him vehemently Haru walked over, taking in Kyou's outfit so far... Not half bad... 

The cargo's were a nice touch, but the look was still "Kyou", and... and Kyou was right, that shirt was really, really tight... Even the sleeves barely reached his wrists.

"I don't think it matters if we wrap that in duct tape or not, Kyou, I think you're going to have to cut it off one way or another..." He tugged at the collar of Kyou's shirt to prove his point. If the shirt collar wasn't strangling him now, he would have breathing issues later on.. "Might have to cut a v-neck into this so you won't choke to death..."

Kyou glared at him in what looked like an attempt to burn a hole in his skull, slapping his hand away. "Kisama baka-oushi..."

"Come no, let's find some hairspray, baka-neko."

"IYAAAAAA!!!"

***End Flashback*** 

Ooooh, that memory made him cringe...

Kyou now stood in the final result of his outfit, a tight black long-sleeved shirt wrapped with duct tape, the collar of the shirt cut with a pair of scissors be become a v-neck.. His usually fiery orange hair has been spray painted jet black at the ends, giving a very... off effect. The only thing that seemed the same for him was the white and black Buddha bracelet on his right wrist. Kyou was looking hard at the ground, blushing madly with his hands crammed in his pockets. But still, Haru thought he looked great. Greater than great, even, but he could say a word, or Kyou would blow up at him per usual.

The bouncer scrutinized them for a bit longer than he needed to, until he couldn't take Haru's intense stare anymore and stepped aside, letting them through. 

Perfect, they were in.

Haru smirked, gripped Kyou's arm, and pulled him past the velvet cord that had just been unlocked for him, up the stairs and past the desk without glancing at the girl sitting there. To either side of the desk were doors leading to the inside, so they went left door, stepping into the pulsating darkness of the club. Haru looked over the dance area, platforms where women and men were dancing above the crowd, and upward to the second and third floors before dragging a cursing and muttering Kyou along with him up the staircase.

With a glance back down at the entrance, Kyou scowled at Haru and shook his arm free. "What was that!? Don't we have to pay? Why were we let in and not those other guys? Don't they even need to GLANCE at some ID!? That's just irresponsible!" 

Haru didn't take note that he'd been shook off as he was currently trying to find a good place to stand to watch. This level was the observation deck, where one would look down and see the whole dance floor, the DJ section, and the three large dance platforms; where random group, couples and individuals who were exceptionally good had come up to dance in front of everyone. The third floor was usually vacant, consisting of a TV area, and a few game systems, but that was it. In the back on the floor they stood on was an extra bar with a mini dance floor. Somewhere there was the "basement"... no one would go in there unless they wanted to get lost with no was out of the darkness.

Haru thought he remembered something of some "specialty" room on the first floor...

"Haru... Oi, HARU! Are you listening to me!?"

Haru finally looked up, smiling. "Iie (no), I stopped listening a while ago..."

Kyou growled and gripped the steel railing, but didn't make a comeback this time. Instead, he starred down into the crowd; the pulsing music and flashing strobe lights were dizzying, but hypnotic...

"Girls," Kyou hissed, "there're too many girls here, this was _stupid_. We'll run into one, and-"

"I thought that was the whole point, Kyou. The risk of it all?"

"Chi..." Kyou looked away... Man, he'd gotten himself into a load of mess this time...

__

***Flashback*** 

"What are you looking at, Haru?" Kyou had just walked into the TV room to find Haru there. Not an unnatural phenomenon in itself, as Hatsuharu had been coming by a lot more than usual. In the past few years Haru usually did stop by to hang around with Shigure and listen to him babble, or watch the television. But it was Saturday, and Shigure was up in his study writing some stupid hentai book for a deadline the next week

Of course, Kyou came walking into the room to find Haru smirking, so naturally Kyou asked him why. He had the perfect right to ask, anyway! White Haru doesn't smirk like that without a good reason! And those reasons were always evil one. Shigure brand evil... even Ayame brand!

Haru looked up at him from his magazine for a moment only to turn back again, his expression faltering but the smirk never fading. 

Annoyed, Kyou asked again, a bit louder: "What are you looking at?!" 

When again Haru gave him no answer, Kyou came closer and looked over his shoulder. There was a colorful add there, with the photograph of a few dance floor scenes... That looked like a... "A club? What are you looking at that_ for?"_

Haru just shrugged. "Betsuni (nothing)."

Kyou gave him a look and flopped down on the floor, grabbed up the remote. But he didn't turn on the TV, just stared at the black screen for a few moments before looking back at Haru. "You're not planning on going, are you...?"

Haru didn't look up and responded, "So what if I am? It's couples night."

Kyou gapped. He couldn't be serious! "Ahou (moron)! Do you know how many girls would be there?"

"Couples night means very few will come for the sack of picking up a date, except for the average male looking for some lonely girl. After midnight you'd have to pay to get in."

Kyou blinked, wondering how the heck Haru knew something like, then yelled, "It's still too dangerous!"

Haru looked up now. "I got before."

"NANI!? Does anyone else know!?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, saying, "Shigure-san..."

"Shigure..." 'That damn make-inu!' 

Haru sighed and shook his head. "Kyou-kun, don't get worked up over this... besides, I don't want Hatori or anyone else finding out about this, so please? Keep it between us?" 

Kyou took pause for a moment, considering this... then finally he sighed. "Yes, fine, whatever..." He felt a certain satisfaction when Haru gave a smile in thanks before looking back to his magazine, licking his thumb disdainfully before flipping a page.

Then Kyou heard Haru mutter, "I didn't realize you liked to follow rule so blindly. Didn't see you for a real goodie-goodie, after all. What sad and boring was to lives one's life."

TWITCH. 

"Am not!"

"Oh, gomen," Haru said lightly, licking his thumb once more and flipping through the magazine again. "You don't care about following the rules... You're just a scardy cat."

TWITCH-TWITCH! 

Kyou jumped to his feet and got into a fighting stance. "Say that again," he hissed, raising his clinched fists, eyes burning.

But for once, Haru didn't rise to the challenge in the usual sense. Instead, he looked up at Kyou in an almost devilish manner. "If you're not scared, then prove it."

Blink. "Nani...? How?"

Haru smiled in an unusually kind manner, despite the situation. "Come with me to the club, baka."

***End Flashback***

Proving a point, that's _all_ he was doing, all he was doing. 

Kyou had subjected himself to Haru's juvenile clothing style, his _hair_style, and now here he was in a club. A real CLUB! 

And he'd sacrificed quiet a bit of money to pay for the cab fair from Shigure's house.

Sure, a part of him was really excited. _Sure_. Who wouldn't be? It's not like he did this sort of thing all the time (in fact, he never had and never planed on it). Going into large crowds... He hated large crowds, and for _good_ reason. But this was surreal. 

Kyou had seen this sort of thing on TV shows, movies; but this was the _real_ thing. Everywhere there were all sorts of different people wearing different clothes. Some loose, some tight, some dark, some bright, and some just solid black. Goths, punks, boys and girls with piercings all over their faces. Tattoos, glow lights, skirts. 

Lots of people who looked like idiots. 

Of course, he at that moment also looked like an idiot in the getup Haru had forced him into, and the stupid black hairspray.

Haru didn't feel so out of place. In fact, it made him feel right at home.

Well, at least a cat could run out of there. It was dark, people would hardly notice. Now, a cow...

Kyou snickered at the image of a large cow suddenly appearing out of nowhere on the middle of the dance floor...

"What are you laughing at, Kyou?"

He looked up to find Haru starring at him. "What...? I was just wondering how you manage to come here without some girl clutching onto you." How _did_ he...? Usually he attracted a lot of attention from the opposite sex. And the same sex... (shiver)

Haru just smiled. "I keep close to another guy. If the girls don't think I'm interested, then-"

"WHAT!?" Kyou yelped, slapping his hand to his forehead. "Urgh, if figures..."

"What does?"

Kyou sighed. "Nothing... So, aren't you gonna go find someone?" He would just stay here on the top floors, out of reach. ~_~ Yeah, that would work. There was hardly anyone up there. Only a few people with drinks or smoking. No wonder this place as a strange smell...

Haru's smile widened. "But you're my date, I don't have to find someone else."

"..... W-What...?"

"Why do you think we got in free? Couples get in, no charge before midnight," Haru explained with an evil smirk. "And it's about eleven now."

Kyou seethed. "You never told me about that, you bastard!!!"

"I thought you'd realize it. After all, the three in line in front of us weren't allowed in because they were trying to go as a threesome instead of a couple. Pay attention, Kyou."

"It's still rotten of you not to tell me!"

Haru shook his head, shrugging off his jacket and throwing it under a bench. "Yeah, well, it's not something to get all worked up about, and I didn't come here just to stand around and watch." He scanned the crowd again, nodding to himself. "That looks like a good spot." He pointed at a space in the crowd in the farthest corner from entrance, about twenty feet from the DJ. "Not many girls over there. Let's go." And he started walking.

Kyou just blinked after him. "Go? Go where? Haru, chotto matte (hold it)! Where are you going!?" 

Haru stopped and looked back at him. "You mean, 'where are _we _going'. We're going to dance, that's what you do at a club like this."

He suddenly felt like someone had poured a glass of ice water down the back of his shirt (which was impossible since if was duct taped to him in the first place). "What do you mean? I can't dance!! I'm a _guy_!"

Haru rolled his eyes. "And? Kyou, don't tell me you're turning into a chicken again?"

TWITCH. 

Haru _always_ used that against him..."Stop calling me that..."

Haru idly played with the end of his fishnets (which went up past his wrists), no longer looking at Kyou. "If you don't want me to call you a chicken, than come dance with me." He smirked. "Or... I can start calling you a scary little kitten?"

Kyou clinched his fists, and if the music wasn't so loud, he would've heard his own knuckles crack. "FINE!!! Stop screwing around with the mind games," he screamed, stomping forward and lacking onto Haru's arm (to Haru's surprise) and started dragging him along. "Lead the way, jackass!!! CALL ME KITTEN AND _DIE_!!!" 

"Hai, hai," Haru said, humor evident in his tone as he tried to get his footing. "Hang on, you have to be more careful, or you'll bump into someone."

He froze then at the bottom of the stairs, suddenly feeling more nervous. Of course Kyou had good vision, but with the strobes flashing like they were, it was still hard to see. He could bump into anyone by accident, and there were so many girls out there...

Why did this suddenly feel like a high stakes game of Russian roulette or something...?

But Haru seemed to know what he was doing. Seemed to... and moved instantly toward the crowd, but not before grasping hold of Kyou's hand. It was like some freaking sick parody of how Kyou had always taken Haru to the bathroom when they were little. Only now... Now Haru was going to wrong way! "Haru! You said the _other_ side looked safe!"

"Too late now, then, ne?" His voice was muffled by the music/ Kyou was reading his lips more than actually hearing him. 

Kyou on the other hand wanted to be _heard_, so he screamed out in response. "TOO LATE!? Are you insane!? DAMMIT!!! Even after all these years I STILL have to lead you around!?"

"No you don't..."

"The HELL I don't! Remember the lake!? (2) Now let's go to the OTHER side!" He tried to move away but Haru held him back.

Haru just smiled again ('Again with that SMILES!!! WHAT THE HELL HAS HIM IN SUCH A GOOD MOOD!?'). "Maybe I like to live it dangerous?" And he winked.

Yes, this was dangerous. Ridiculously dangerous! Unbelievably so! If anyone saw them or if they transformed in this crowd, Hatori would have a _delightful_ time cleaning up the mess.

And then Haru started dancing, right there.

Okay, NO... He'd never seen Haru dance. 

Kyou had always assumed that perhaps he didn't know how to dance. Much less like _that_... Not White Haru, anyway. 

He danced like everyone else; moving his hips and shoulders, eyes closed, swaying to the music, his white hair glowing oddly every time the strobe flashed from behind him, turning it yellow, red, blue, violet, or gave it a fluorescent glow. As he danced, his head nodded to the beat of the music, or moved in one direction before his lower body would follow in suit.

A little but raunchy, actually... But.... actually really good...

And Kyou felt is face heating up at the sight of it, so he looked away. But there wasn't really anywhere for him to go, and it was so dark, and Haru was dancing like _that_ and everyone else was and Kyou was just standing there feeling like an alien on a strange planet. He'd planned on watching, not participating! 

Yet here he was, in the middle of the dance floor. Okay, maybe it wasn't as tightly packed there as it had seemed from above, but...

"Haru!" The other boy didn't seem to hear him over the music and kept dancing as Kyou stood there, glancing around nervously with rising panic. 'Crowds! HATE CROWDS!!!' He just couldn't shake it, he couldn't take it. He felt very alone even with all these people. He had to get out! Maybe he _should_ find a girl, hug one from behind and then escape! Yeah, cat could get out of there easily! "HARU!"

Haru's head finally snapped towards him. He didn't stop moving, but he had slowed down considerably and moved closer so he could hear Kyou. "What?"

"I don't like this," Kyou said loudly, confident that only Haru could hear him. He jumped when a body, male, bumped into him from behind, and he couldn't help but squirm on his feet. "I can't even dance!"

"Of course you can, just do what I do."

Kyou scowled, staying as still as he dared, trying not to allow anyone to touch him, female or not. "It's not that easy, baka!" 'I don't _want_ to dance like you do!'

Kyou's elbow bumped into someone. When he turned his head a few inches to see who it was this time he nearly jumped out of his skin. 

'A girl! A GIRL!' 

He turned away quickly, moving a bit closer to Haru (though not enough to touch), who now was moving with his back to Kyou. 'Oh nooo, Kami-sama, she _smiled_ at me, I saw it! Like one of those psycho Yuki Club girls! Like Kagura!' Okay, time to go back on wanting to change to escape, _bad idea_! Too risky! "Haru! HARU!"

Haru stopped and turned to him. "What is it? Are you going to dance now?"

"I've got to get out of here," he said quickly, feeling suffocated, claustrophobic, _can't take it_. "Girls, _everywhere_." He gripping into Haru's thin fishnet sleeve, nodding his head backwards. "She's there..."

Haru looked over Kyou's shoulder, frowned, then looked away quickly. The girl must still be looking at him. "Hm, that is a problem, isn't it? What do you want me to do about it?"

Kyou growled and attempted to make a move to get out of there. 'Leave, and you don't have to deal with it, screw what Haru says!' But he didn't get very far before Haru gripped his shoulders and pulled him back. In fact, he was jerked back, but caught his footing easily, glaring for all he was worth. "What are you doing, baka-oushi!? I gotta-" Haru had narrowed his eyes, and for a moment he thought he'd brought out Black Haru. 

But then he did something Kyou hadn't intended him to. Haru had his hands at Kyou's waist, pulling him close. Closer-what the...!?

"Dance."

"Urk," was the only sound he could make at the moment, and Kyou could feel his face heat up. "W-What the-H-Haru, what are-you stupid-"

Haru smiled knowingly, repeating something similar to what he'd said earlier... "She won't be interested if she thinks you can't be interested, ne?"

Logic...

Evil, stupid, STUPID logic!

But with a glance over his shoulder, Kyou was very relieved to see the girl was giving a disappointed frown ('Boohoo, how tragic...'), and then turned back to her own business (probably looking for another guy to hunt).

Heeh, what do you know, the cow'd been right...

When Kyou looked back to Haru he discovered the other boy to be smiling, _again_. "_What_? What now!?"

"Kyou... you move like you have steel poll up your-"

"URUSAI (SHUT-UP)! I don't _dance_, you idiot, what do you expect!? I'm moving, aren't I!?"

Haru smiled a little wider, and Kyou could feel his hands move along his back, arms snaking around his waist. 

Haru leaned in. "Dancing is no different than martial arts, Kyou," he said, into Kyou ear so he didn't have to yell as loudly to be heard. "Fluid, elegant, spontaneous..."

Kyou could feel himself go even _more_ ridged, hair standing on end. Did Haru _realize_ what he _sounded_ like!? Was Haru _trying_ to sound like he was coming onto him!? 'I'm _not_ YUKI!' 

"Is this like that ballet for football players speech?" Haru was too close... Way too close. Kyou didn't like being this close to _anyone_. He felt his stomach tighten uncomfortably. 

Sure, he could flip Haru over his shoulder, knock him unconscious, or _choke_ him to death. But that was a good way to draw attention to himself. Kyou didn't want _any_ attention drawn to them. At least their hair wasn't as much of an issue here. Usually they radical hair color drew attention, though here were a few people there with oddly dyed hair... Kyou and Haru blended right in with them.

Haru rolled his eyes. "No. I'm just saying that it can be fun if you try. Haven't you ever played "Dance-Dance Revolution"?"

Blink. "What the hell?"

Sweatdrop. "I guess you haven't... But it's not very different, you just move along with the beat." He had by now locked his arms around Kyou, almost forcibly making him move along with him. "Like this... good..."

"Wait, why do _I_ have to be the girl!?" He tried squirmed out of Haru's grip, but the oushi didn't seem to want to let go. 

Haru sighed, shaking his head. "Why do you have to complain so much?" No one ever said Kyou was easy to handle. Always so high-strung...

"You're asking for me to rip out your throat, aren't you, baka-oushi!?"

Haru frowned a little at that comment, but surprisingly, he didn't feel angry, really. But maybe a little hurt... "You're trying to draw attention to yourself, aren't you, baka-neko? And you're not the "girl", I'm just leading."

"Leading _what_?" 

(Sigh) "You certainly don't know how to dance on your own-"

Kyou's eyes twitched. "THIS ISN'T DANCING, YOU ECHII!!! This is just your sick idea of messing with my head!" 

Haru ignored that, continuing, "So come on, loosen up. I don't feel like fighting you today, and not in public." 

Since Kyou didn't seem to be moving on his own, he raised his right hand up and started moving Kyou's arms (which had been stiff at his sides this whole time) so that they were positioned around Haru's neck before returning his own hand back to Kyou's waist. He was only semi-surprised that Kyou didn't try to punch him... yet... 

"There. Now just hold on to me."

"As in strangle you? I can do that." He positioned his fingers so they were wrapped around Haru's throat in a threatening fashion.

Haru sighed, readjusting Kyou's hands again before saying, "Just _dance_, Kyou..." And with that, he went back to swaying to the music, moving Kyou along with him...

And even for Kyou... this was sorta of nice....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shigure looked up from his newspaper, blinking in surprise as Hatori entered the room. He hadn't heard the doorbell ring or the front door opening. "Ha-san! Kobannwa (good evening)!" 

Hatori nodded to him, unbuttoning the front buttons of his suit coat after setting down his briefcase. "Shigure," he acknowledged curtly.

Shigure bounced up from his Kotatsu, grinning. "Good thing you came, I'm so bored I could just fall asleep right here..."

"Don't sleep under the kotatsu, you'll catch a cold." 

"Ooooooh! So we can play DOCTOR!"

He shook his head. "Baka, I doubt you want another shot (3)."

The inu seemed to ignore that comment, babbling on while trying to usher Hatori forward. "Aren't you going to sit down? Can I get you some tea? Tohru-kun's asleep, but I can get it for you. My lovely wife needs a break after all. After aaall her hard work during the day! And _you_! It's not often that the wonderful, handsome, spectacular Ha-san comes to visit me-"

Hatori sighed, rolling his eyes, looking around. "Please stop babbling. I came to pick up Haru." Why else would Hatori have let himself in? After all the times he'd had to pick up Haru lately, there was no point of knocking anymore. "It's getting late," he continued. "Is he upstairs?"

Shigure blinked a few times, and suddenly became quiet as though he was pondering something. "Hatsuharu...? Haru-kun isn't here... He was a few hours ago, though. Haven't seen him since I went up to the study." He rubbed his chin. "Actually, I haven't really seen Kyou, either..."

Hatori frowned. "Not here? He didn't try going on his own, did he?"

Shigure shrugged. "He never told me he was leaving. We only spoke briefly. I told him stories of the old days! Remember when we managed to get you out clubbing-"

"It's not a smart idea to give Haru ideas like that," Hatori said darkly. "Haru shouldn't be doing that sort of thing... And you know him, he might actually do something like that, if he hasn't already."

"That's why I told him to go with a friend," Shigure offered helpfully, kneeling down to pick up his newspaper again, adjusting his reading glasses. "Turns out he does that sort of thing all the time. But you see? I talked to him! He won't go alone anymore! Safety in numbers!"

Hatori hadn't bothered to sit, but came to stand by Shigure, eyes narrowed. He was suddenly itching to a cigarette... "That's ridiculous. _Who_ could he possibly ask? And he shouldn't be going at all. Those at the main house believe it's too dangerous. And you remember what happened with Ayame."

"Yeah, and that girl really could scream. Like a baby, you know? A _strooong_ set of lungs. Though he did crawl up her-"

"Shigure," he interrupted with a sigh, "_who_ would he ask. Tell me." Hatori was having an odd feeling of foreboding...

"Hmmm..." Shigure glanced over the newspaper, smiling to himself. "Me...?"

"Hardly, you're too old. Who else?"

"Ha-san, Hidoi (that's mean/you're horrible)," he sobbed, alligator tears springing. T_T "You're so cruel!"

"Where is Kyou, Shigure."

"Kyou-kun?"

He repeated again, "_Where_. _is_. _Kyou_?"

"Erm... I don't know, actually..." Shigure's eyes shifted around a bit before settling upon the ceiling. "I assume he's in bed."

"You _assume_... 

Nod. "I know Kyou, Ha-san. He doesn't go anywhere on weekends, there's nowhere for someone like him to go this time of night. Nothing to do, ne? He doesn't like being around a lot of people. It's very boring. He only stays with his little friends at school, you know? Or Haru, who you _know_ he's going to fall madly in love with." 

"...."

"Ha-san...? You're very... quiet..."

Hatori sighed and began buttoning up his coat again, heading back the way he came. "Shigure, get your coat, we're going after them. And I assume you know the way..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) A popular club in the Wash. D.C. area... and so you know, I based the appearance of this club after a club I've been to, Platinum. It's was SO awesome! With giant chandlers and the dress code was as black as you can get and no jeans, and-... okay, Geuna stop now. -^_^- (zips lips)

2) HAHAHA! It's TRUE! In the manga, Kyou, Haru, Tohru, Yuki and Momiji are swimming in a lake I think at the Sohma summerhouse. Kyou is seen leading a very dazed looking (hand half-naked, might I add (DROOLS)) Haru through the water by the hand, looking VERY pissed (ears and all!) while the others look on as though baffled. ^___^ 

3) Remember the shot? And Hatori made it hurt just so Shigure would shut his trap? _ Oooooow!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To be continued...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(cackles and cheers) YAY!! FUN!!! Clubbing is SO much fun. Is you're at least 18, you should try going in a group. I did that... though we didn't have any boys...~__~ GOD, and it was LADIES (Freakin') NIGHT! Guy hitting on you in the worst ways on the dance floors. That's why we have the "chain" system. See a guy coming on too strong, do the chain train and move to the other side of the room, or second or third dance floor to talk a break.

And girls... BRING A GUY!!! Can be a boyfriend, can be a guy-friend, just someone to scare them the heck OFF. (growls) And they can't even hear to turn them down since it's so damn loud... 

Okay, enough of me ranting! ^_^ I'm gonna be start college again soon, so I'm moving back into the dorm with weekend. I'm dying to go back!

I presently have fanart done for this fic, including Kyou as he appears in his clubbing outfit. The pictures aren't in my own style, though in the style of the original Furuba animated series. I haven't honestly drawn "fanart" in years, so I can't bring myself to change another artist's style, you know? I'm a second-year college level artist, and I've been drawing since age three.... I know my sh*t. (crosses arms and nods to self)

I'll have the fanart up as soon as my bloody scanner bulb fixed.

Geuna~


	3. Red As Blood

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all characters within are NOT mine. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you so much and so sorry I haven't gotten to you, for the past couple of days the network has been such down in my dorm. The whole building didn't have internet, and they were going from building to building turning it back on as people got live updates for recent viruses which have been hitting the school

Fanart is also being put on hold for now while I get Photoshop hooked up to my dorm computer, as I have recently reformatted it. 

Geuna~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Title: Red As Blood

Part Three of the "White As Snow, Black As Night" Series

Author: Lady Geuna

Rating: PG-13 - Pairings: -- Kyou/Haru, one-sided Shigure/Hatori!???? 0_o'
Genre: Drama/Humor 

Full Summary: Clubbing? Dancing!? Haru drags Kyou into some places and situations he's never been before, and as the elders Sohma's rush in before he and Haru cause any more trouble then they have, they also get dragged down as well…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red As Blood: "No one likes to share the love…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For some reason it felt like the club was getting hotter and hotter, though outside it was still probably _freezing_... which was normal considering it was _February_. But it felt like summer in that room packed side to side with people dancing. The smell of sweat was more pronounced around him now, and Kyou could feel it soaking into the cloth of his shirt where the duct tape was keeping him insulated. It was almost maddeningly uncomfortable, but he wasn't one to loudly fret about those things when he was honestly (stubbornly) trying to hide it. Though with the now flaring blue strobes and clusters of people around him, he figured he'd hardly be noticed.

It felt like hours had gone by since they first started dancing. And strangely, Kyou had enjoying himself! To think, he was actually having a good time! With _Haru_! Though the inclination to kill him once sprang up a few times... But Haru was actually truly innocent about it all, and hadn't moved his hands at all during the past… however long they'd been doing this, and Kyou had long since removed his arms from their rather disgustingly (shiver) _feminine_ position around Haru's neck. He'd since produced a new inches of distance between their bodies, and kept his hands firmly on Haru's wrists. It looked like on oddly strange position compared to all the other people, who had been (and still where) clinging to each other, or otherwise had their hands flung into the air. And Haru _had_ been resting his hands upon his waist, but having Kyou's hands there over his insured a lack of movement of… touching… he didn't like touching, still. He couldn't get used to it, he wasn't familiar with it, and he wasn't about to let _this_ touch go any farther than he would allow. Haru didn't have any objections to this and neither had tried to communicate. 

Kyou hadn't had any trouble with the women around him, either, as the few that did bump into him couldn't nearly touch him enough to cause him to transform. One even rubbed her body against Haru, but the cow had remained remarkably oblivious, and she left in near tears, furious. Kyou was internally pleased by this… he wasn't sure why, but he was. Even if they were getting along like friends, Kyou started to realize how territorial he was about it. He hadn't had a friend like this in a long time… It was a logical reaction, right? 

Of course it was!!!

And before moving on, Kyou would have wanted something made very clear...

Kyou did realize something after a while after dancing with Haru...

He couldn't dance.... _AT_ _ALL_.

It wasn't just the fact that he didn't _want_ to dance, that's beside the point. It was simply physically impossible.

Sure, he caught on, performed the barest of basics (these were just the basics, right...?), but beyond that he'd slammed his foot onto Haru's... ten times, take or give a few. And it was on accident… seriously!

Kyou could honestly say he didn't have much by ways of "rhythm"... Actually, he didn't have ANY rhythm. He couldn't really catch onto it by himself, but this wasn't so bad, because his "teacher" was very persistent... and Haru had enough rhythm for the both of them... Where _did_ the cow learn to dance like that!?

Yeah, he'd gotten through it without too much trouble. 

That was until Kyou decided to do something very stupid... he decided to take a break...

~~~~ Ten Minutes Previous... ~~~~

__

"Haru!" The boy didn't hear him over the music, so Kyou cupped his hands and yelled closer to Haru's ear. "HARU! I'M TAKING A TIME OUT!"

Haru started, pulling back. It would seem that the oushi had been in the mist of thinking. He looked at Kyou irritated expression in confusion. "What?" Kyou heard Haru's mouth move but didn't actually hear him. Why did they make clubs this LOUD? It was as though the music had changed and gotten louder, and even the lights had changed.

Kyou yelled again. "I'm gonna... look around."

"We shouldn't separate."

Kyou snorted, taking his hands from Haru's wrists and scanned around for an opening in the crowd. This wasn't going to be easy... "Sure, but if I don't get a drink of water soon **I'm**_ not going to be the one regretting it." He brandished his fist to accent the point, and Haru only slumped his shoulders as though he were sighing deeply. It was hard to see his face in the lighting, but he looked almost disappointed..._

"Okay, okay... Get back soon, okay? Don't get lost."

~~~~ Present time... ~~~~

At the time he'd thought, 'Haru's telling _me_ not to get lost??? Whata joke!"

Of course he didn't get LOST.

He just lost _Haru_.... _not_ himself… understand? Big difference!

'Yeah, yeah, _brilliant_ move Kyou! Absolutely BRILLIANT!'

Kyou was presently walking carefully along the cement wall, "Mission Impossible" style, trying as best he could not to touch ANYONE and cursing himself for his own stupidity. After all, why didn't he just demand that Haru come with him? But nooo, of course he didn't think of that. OF COURSE! 

Even as he moved flat again the wall he still ended up making physical contact with people, but it was hardly enough to make him transform. It still nearly gave him a heart attack though whenever it came close... and it came close quite often compared to when he was with Haru.

He'd gone up to the second and third floors immediately when he realized his situation… and he'd realized his situation when he found out how difficult it was to navigate through the crowd. Kyou figured he'd be able to spot Haru from up there, but he was DEAD wrong. It was impossible to tell one head from the other. Sure, Haru had a very... unique hairstyle... and color, but how the hell was he supposed to tell with the lighting flashing like it was! It was also nearly impossible to get a good place to stand at the railing because it was so crowded, and no one seemed willing to move, and Kyou wasn't about to start a fight in a place like this (though he REALLY wanted to).

He tried walking along the wall to catch sight of Haru through the crowd, but more likely than not he was still somewhere in the middle of the dance floor, and Kyou wasn't going to navigate his way through THAT again. 

And through all of this, Kyou knew that he was still tired, still sweating, and dammit, he was THIRSTY!!!

But it was just when he'd broken though an annoying cluster of people along the wall when he saw it. The bar… It seemed that one large section of the back wall was clear of people. A set of metal railing blocked off the dancers from the area, and just beyond the railing the floor level sank down about foot. The bar counter sat in the shadows of the second floor overhang, badly lit by lamp and neon lights. As he watched it became nearly deserted as a group of smiling and laughing men and women pulled themselves up a small opening in the railing and back up to the dance floor, taking a set of drinks with them.

Maybe Kyou had lost Haru, but at least he'd be able to get something to drink! At least something seemed to be looking up! But it was hardly enough to make Kyou smile or feel much relief. Either way, the chance to get a cool drink and be free (at least for a little bit) of the hordes of dancing people was too tempting for Kyou to pass up. 

He swiftly made his way along the wall until be reached the outermost edge of the railing, grabbed hold of it (ugh, it was sticky…), and the successfully leaped over it to the cement floor there. The dance floor (or at least sections of it) had been wood, though this area seemed very… dead. Not alive like everything else in the place, probably because the strobes were mostly coming from someplace right above the overhang, and they didn't shine down where the bar was.

Walking forward, Kyou could only see two people there. Two boys sitting on stools to the left side of the bar, chatting to themselves.

  
One looked… creepy, like he was going for an almost vampiric look. His skin was as pale as Haru's (though it might have been make-up), and he wore solid black from head to toe, complete with a turtleneck, chains, leather pants, gloves, and his black hair sleeked back with something so that it looked like thick tar.

The other boy wasn't nearly as gothic, with cropped blonde hair and a short-sleeved red shirt. Various plastic bracelets reached up halfway to his elbows, and there were at least five piercing per ear. He looked like most of the people Kyou saw around the club, so he wasn't at all surprised or impressed (not that he was easily impressed by _anyone_...).  
  
'Yup,' he thought sarcastically, 'these where Haru's sort of people...'   
  
Satisfied that the bar didn't have any other people (and no GIRLS), Kyou sat down on a stool about two seats from the "Goth boy" (what else was he supposed to refer to him as?). He didn't want to seem afraid of them, but hell, he didn't want to _sit_ by them, either.

Besides, Kyou, AFRAID??? Of _THEM_???

Pffh! Yeah right! These just weren't his sort of people, and they probably smelled funky, too....   
  
Making sure not making any sudden movements, Kyou got comfortable in the padded stool... Hey... it really was sorta nice... comfortable... And the counter was glossy and clean, too, except for some sort of crumb mess a few feet away by the other two people who were had an empty bowl in front of them. 

Kyou leaned over it on his elbows, looking around at the large assortment of liquor bottles that were carefully stacked against the far wall, reflected by a mirror (Kyou could just see a bit of his own reflection in the space between the bottles). The bartender --who happened to be a woman (1), to his displeasure-- stood by a computer and cash register a few feet to his left, and upon his arrival she smiled at him and asked from where she as standing, "Can I get you anything?" Surprisingly, she could talk normally and Kyou could still hear her.

Nodding stiffly Kyou shifted his eyes for a moment before answering, "Water," quickly, then looked anywhere but the girl.

The bar lady nodded and took out a glass from below the counter and began whipping it off for good measure with a cloth. Kyou watched her closely as she did everything, making sure not to be noticed. After adding a few ice cubes she took a fountain tab and filled the glass with fresh water.

When she saw Kyou fishing around for yen in his pockets she waved him off, walking up and setting the glass down in front of him on a napkin. "Water's free."

With another stiff nod he took the glass and the bartender went back to her computer. Kyou was feeling tense and he didn't really know why. Maybe because Haru wasn't around to take his mind of the big crowd just _looming_ behind him. But all of that was pretty far away now, if not a few feet, and he was alone now, wasn't he? But then... 

'Aw, crap...'

Instead if going unnoticed like he'd hoped, out of the corner of his eyes Kyou noticed that the Goth guy was looking at him... So was the blonde... What were THEY looking at!?   
  
"Oi (Hey)," one of them called over to him. 

Kyou ignored him, hoping that he would just go away... He carelessly took a gulp of his water, relishing it as it washed down his dry throat. He couldn't help but smiling then in satisfaction, even though the glass was filled to the brim with large ice cubs. Kyou would have to wait until it melted before he got another good drink, but it didn't matter.

His previous hopes were dashed then when the Goth guy stood and went to take the seat to his immediate right. "I haven't seen you 'round here. You new?"   
  
Kyou snapped his head to the side and _glared_ at him, making the guy jump a little, but also grin for some reason. "What," Kyou spanned, annoyed.  
  
The guy grinned some more (Kami-sama he hated smiling people acting all freaking '"tra-la-la"). "Gomen. Akai and I," he jutted at thumb at his blonde companion, "come around here all the time, and I sure haven't seen you around."  
  
Kyou snorted, setting his water down on the bar counter. "No, I _don't_ come here. It's too loud, and… it smells." 'People smell,' he though, was considering saying it aloud. 'They really, seriously do, and more often than not in a devastatingly bad way. Dammit, where's HARU!'  
  
Trying to distract himself from his unwelcome company Kyou looked around the counter again, and then his eyes landed on the woman who had served him his drink. The bar lady was looking annoyed for some reason, Kyou saw. He was constantly looking at her watch, before finally he took a key, turned off the register and grabbed her jacket from under the counter. She was gone soon after, from out from around the counter to a room in the back right along-side the bar and a hallway guarded by what looked like a bouncer like the one he'd seen in the front of the building.

When the door snapped shut behind her the Goth's little blonde friend decided to goin in, standing up to sit next to him friend...

'Great...'

"They're switching off for the evening," the Goth explained, conversationally. "It's the same every night, though that one, I've noticed, is always really eager to get off her shift. Doesn't wait for nobody, you know?"

"They don't get tips here," the blonde, Akai, said.

Kyou didn't give any sort of response, shaking his glass a bit before taking another drink, finishing off the last of the water present, then set it down again to let the ice melt.

Them the Goth asked a question that puzzled him.

"Ever had a vodka mixer?"

Kyou looked up, starring at him. "What?"

He grinned, tapping the rim of a glass with the tip of a gloved finger. Kyou hadn't noticed the drink before, but it was in a very small glass. "Hard vodka mixer on the rocks. Ever had one?"

'A… what? What the was that? Why would it have _rocks_?' "No."

"Oh... well, here!" He pushed the glass toward Kyou.

Kyou gave him a sharp look. Hadn't these idiots gotten a clue to just GO AWAY. "_What_?"

"Have mine! I don't really want it anymore anyway. Had something else already. Besides, you look like you could loosen up. Why so tense?"

"Pffh... Thanks, but I. _don't._ _drink_. Now go away."

Neither seemed to take his demand into account, and Akai decided to speak up. "Don't drink...? Or never drank _before_?"

Kyou fidgeted. Well… no, he'd never drunk before, or at least not actual _liquor_. As for sake, only the tip of his tongue ever touched the stuff before he'd gagged and refused anymore. The stuff smelled foul, anyway.

The blonde seemed to have taken his silence for a "no". "Wow, never…? You don't look that young…"

Kyou snorted. "I did _feel_ like it. So just shove off."

"Oooh," the Goth grinned, "testy…." Then he pushed the drink closer so that the cold, sweat-beaded glass touched his hand. "Come ooon, I bet you're curious, aren't you? Just a little?

He was, actually…

Very curious.

Curiosity killed the cat, after all.

What would Haru say…

__

'Are you chicken, Kyou-kun? You'll regret life if you don't live a little and try something new for once.'

Kyou growled to himself and the quiet, calm voice in his head. Stupid, manipulative HARU…

"And the ice is melting, it's watered down," he continued, "it won't be that bad. Just get you a little buzzed."

Akai grinned. "That parts always fun, too!"

Being "buzzed" didn't seem all that bad…

Slowly, Kyou reached out and took the glass into his hand, ignoring the other two boys as they grinned winningly, and for now pushing away the fact that he didn't want these people near him to begin with. "I'm just curious," he growled, "so don't go sh-"

"Whoa, whoa!" The Goth waved his hand, he and his friend laughing. "Calm down, man, really!"

Kyou shrugged, bringing the glass to his mouth before a hand stopped him, and he looked to the Goth in annoyance. "WHAT?"

"Don't drink it so slowly," the boy said pointedly. "You'll gag, trust me. You need to take it all down as once, as much as you can. In one gulp, you know? And be sure not to take any air with you."

Kyou starred at him, then at the glass, then collected everything the Goth said in his mind and took it all into account. After counting to three, Kyou did as instructed, knocking back the contents of the glass in one fatal gulp.

Oh, SHIT! It _BURNED_!

Kyou's eyes widened in momentary panic as the liquid burned him all the way from his throat to his stomach. He'd been holding his breath the second after he drank the stuff, but now his lungs heaved and Kyou was coughing violently, and hand over his mouth. Damn it was bitter, too!

  
The two boys laughed, the Goth slapping him on the back with a pitying look. "Sorry, didn't think you couldn't take it..."   
  
"It burns!"   
  
"Yeah, it does, but that's supposed to be the best part."   
  
HOW was that supposed to be the best part!? 

He desperately tried to get more water from his glass, a few ice cubes falling to the floor, and in the end he actually resorted to crunching one with his teeth, but _anything_ to get that burning feel to go away!

  
The Goth was still grinning at him... as was Akai, what was _with_ them?   
  
"I'm Kuroi," the Goth said, smirking.   
  
The other guy (the blonde) smirked as well with an almost identical look. "I'm Akai, of course."   
  
He didn't know what brought him to respond, but he said, "Hi..." 'Why are they introducing themselves...? I don't want to talk to them!' 

A moment later a new girl came from the back room looking like she'd just come from the cold and situated herself behind the counter. Before she could do anything Kyou viciously stuck out his empty glass at her and glared, trying to control his urge to cough again. "Water," he demanded, "… just water. More water."  
  
Kyou hardly noticed the odd, warm feeling rising from his gut.... of how his anxiety about missing a certain cow was drifting away... Hmmm....   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
"Akito-san will be very displeased if he finds out...."   
  
"It's not all my fault! I just planted the idea, I didn't think Kyou would agree!" 

"And what gave you this stupid idea?"

"Who knows where these ideas come from, Ha-san. They just appear!" ^__^

  
"I should have known... They're in public, Shigure, and of all places one of those-"   
  
Shigure pouted. "But Ha-saaan, I just wanted them to spend more quality time together..."   
  
"This isn't what I would call 'quality time'..." Hatori had managed to park his car two blocks away in a parking garage, and now finally they made it to the club. Hatori grunted quietly at the mass of people who were crowded around the entrance of the club just behind the velvet barrier chain... "Low class..."   
  
Shigure grinned. "You should've let me tell Aya-san and-"   
  
"Iie." He stepped out of the car and started striding to the entrance before Shigure even had a chance to respond. When he heard that Shigure had managed to catch up, he continued, "It seems that you think you're going to get something out of this?" He glanced back at the inu, who had put on some of the only clothes that he had that weren't of the kimono sort, a black sweater, his suit pants and the corresponding dress shoes. "We get in, we find them, we leave. Don't touch anyone, don't breath on anyone, don't let them breath on you, and don't take any drinks... You're worse when you're drunk."   
  
"What do you mean worse-?"   
  
"Excuse me." Hatori had cut directly to the front of the line, where a very tall though bulky looking man stood. His bald, smooth scalp was tattooed, giving a rather macho sort of air that Hatori didn't find intimidating in the least. The man wore a thick leather jacket to protect him from the cold, and a tag around his neck indicated he worked for the place. "We need to enter immediately for an emergency situation."   
  
Shigure seemed to be suppressing a groan. How was talking like _that_ supposed to help them get in a club like this...?   
  
The guard seemed to be thinking along the same lines, snorting loudly and taking in Hatori's very formal looking suit. "And who do you think you are? The Prime Minister?"   
  
Hatori didn't even blink, then fished out a card from his pocket, his medical license (yes, doctors or any sort of medical person should have one of these...). "We were called here due to an injury. Someone fell from a dance platform and hit his head. And unless you want this place to be sued and shut down, I suggest you let us through."   
  
Shigure was for some reason chuckling very darkly, muttering so only Hatori could hear, "Oh Ha-san, you're just an old, sly dog, too..." Sniff. "Aya-san would be so proud..."   
  
The man gave Shigure a look, then starred at the card for a few seconds. The line in front of him was looking reckless... "I haven't been called on any of this-"   
  
"There's no time," Hatori said, deadpan, with an air of authority that would shatter most anyone's resolve. "I suggest you let us through immediately."   
  
"But-But you're not even dressed for this sort of thing... You're a bit to formal for this, uh, doctor..." He handed back Hatori's card, which he pocketed immediately.   
  
"Do you seriously expect medical personnel to conform to any sort of 'dress code' while there's an emergency?"   
  
Shigure stepped forward excitedly, "Yeah! And we were interrupted in the middle one hot dinner date, mind yo-OOF!!" He doubled over when an elbow hit him sharply in the gut. "Ha-san... hidoi (mean)..."   
  
The man quickly undid the chain with his key, untying it from the handles and them holding the door open for the two to pass. "Please, sirs, go ahead..."   
  
Now, either he believe them, or he just wanted them out of the way, but for Hatori, it didn't matter anymore. Nodding, Hatori stepped forward, frowning when Shigure came up to his side and latched onto his arm, winking back at the man. "We'll be sure to have fun after we complete our business here..."   
  
"Good luck, sirs," the man called, looking at them oddly.   
  
Shigure giggled. "Aya-san is really missing out, this is fun. Ne, Ha-san?"   
  
"I'm going to kill you, Shigure."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Haru was having a great time, surely.   
  
He would be having a better time if Kyou hadn't backed out of dancing.   
  
And of course now... he was a bit worried.   
  
"Kyou!" Haru's voice was drowned out completely though it didn't stop him from trying. Unsurprisingly he remained ignored by everyone close enough to hear.   
  
The neko had slipped away for longer than Haru had thought he would. _Much_ longer. Sure, Kyou might've left altogether, but he hadn't seemed angry enough earlier when he left Haru on the dance floor to have just left. 

On the other hand, he might've run into a girl, or someone tried hugging him, and he transformed. Kyou would never forgive him if something like that happened. 

  
It was when he was about to become really panicked that Haru caught sight of the bar. And there, a familiar flash of orange hair caught his eye. "Kyou?" He came closer, and for some reason he didn't feel as relieved as he should've been to find Kyou... or perhaps it was Kyou's company.   
  
There were two other boys there about their age, one with black hair and the other a blonde (probably bleached), and both far from being unattractive. Kyou was laughing with them, it seemed, sitting between the two. Seriously, laughing his head off...   
  
Kyou had leaned over one of them, raising a hand toward a particularly drunken looking individual in the next seat. He used his index figure, pushing at the guy's forehead, and laughed hysterically when he toppled over onto the floor like a sack of brick. "HAHAHA, you're so _weak_!"   
  
The other two laughed with him. And Haru suddenly noted that one had an arm around Kyou waist, holding him so he wouldn't fall over while knocking over the other guy. When Kyou himself seemed to notice this, he frowned, but the other guy then leaned in, whispering something in his ear, a bit too close... making Kyou laugh even harder then before, the arm and momentary discomfort forgotten after he whacked the boy in the head. The black haired boy didn't seem that affected by the hit (he didn't even let go), or maybe Kyou hadn't hit him as hard as he seemed to…  
  
This didn't look right at all... 

Haru didn't act all at once. He felt very… jealous, he supposed, but he'd promised himself to not think that way about Kyou, for Kyou's sake… but at the moment it was very hard. Kyou always said he didn't like to be touched and he'd respect that, but now these two people hanging all over him… Even though Kyou was raising his voice to them, he wasn't doing anything otherwise…

  
It was when the blonde stood --trying to usher Kyou along with him to dance-- that Haru had enough. 

Haru strode up there as quickly and carefully as he could manage without running into anyone female and soon he was standing before the three, just as Kyou was raising a glass to his mouth, chuckling, without any indication that he'd noticed him. The first thing Haru did was grab the arm that was holding the drink, stopping Kyou so that he looked up, a bit dazed. "Kyou?"   
  
"Haru!" Kyou grinned, twirling around on his stool to face him, looking both delighted and frustrated. "Where've you _been_, you stupid cow?"   
  
The Goth looking guy didn't seem to appreciate Haru's sudden appearance at all, forcing a smile. "Who's this, neko-chan?"   
  
Kyou glared at the guy, but not as intensely as Haru would have expected, poking him in the chest hard enough to make him wince. He said darkly, "don't call me that..." Then he went on with an exaggerated stage whisper, "_Besides, that was supposed to be a' secret, you know_!?_ Himitsu daaa_! (_It's a seeecret_!)"   
  
Haru detached the drink from Kyou hand, frowning. "How many drinks have you had?" Haru didn't think Kyou was the type to drink anything.  
  
Kyou waved him off, looking like a frustrated child who was being told, 'It's way past you're bedtime, time for bed!' "Just two! Only two!" Kyou laughed again, throwing his head back, then glared. "WHAT!? You say live a little, I live a little, now what!?" The look cracked in a matter of seconds and he was laughing again, kicking his legs and looking completely ridiculous and unlike himself. The blonde grinned at him, or more correctly, grinned at Kyou's exposed neck, an odd glint in his eye. The other Goth-boy was still eyeing Haru with the same negative look he'd given him when Haru first showed up on the scene.  
  
"You're a friend, then," the Goth asked, his voice not sounding at all pleased. "I'm Kuroi... This is Akai." He gestured at the other boy, who looked drunk himself, and was ignoring everyone but Kyou at the moment, whispering to the cat so Haru couldn't hear. "And you are...?"   
  
Haru narrowed his eyes, not feeling inclined at all to give his name. "I came here with, Kyou..." Suspiciously he sniffed at Kyou's drink. He didn't smell anything off beyond water... just plain water... Not that he knew what to look for or smell for otherwise. Haru rarely drank while he was out. It needed his focus in order to watch from bumping into women. But he knew Kyou, he wasn't the type to not realize that fact, nor was he the type to get wasted over one and a half drinks…

But he was drinking water now, anyway, though he surely looked drunk at some level at the moment... 

"Kyou…?" He ignored the other two and tried to get his friend to look him in the eye. "Kyou, can you understand me."

"They just wouldn't go away," Kyou said, exasperated. "Kept bugging-and bugging and bugging- like YOU do all the time! Though you'd want me to LIVE a lill', eh!? ALWAYS TEASING ME, DAMMIT!!!"

For some reason that made Haru tense, lips pressed together in a tight line… Kyou didn't start drinking because of Haru's teasing, did he? Kyou wasn't supposed to take him seriously…

The Goth --Kuroi or whatever-- still had his arm around Kyou (to "hold him up"), and that was making Haru uneasy, and the Darkness in the back of his mind grow just a little bit more in strength... The other, Akai, was grinning, and was practically nuzzling Kyou's neck. Kyou himself looked to be very drowsy and partially unaware all at once, as though he were zoning out, mumbling something under his breath before growling at Akai and elbowing him, and muttering, "Jackass."  
  
The answer to what was going on was very simple, obvious, and any idiot could put this two and two together.  
  
"You put something in his drink," Haru said flatly, stilling holding the glass firmly in one hand, eyes shifting between the two strangers and Kyou.  
  
Kuroi shrugged. "Look, me and my friend here are just having a little fun..."

"You put something in his drink," he repeated again, as though Kuroi hadn't heard him. 

"Look... we have the same stuff in ours." He lifted a drink off the table and waves it before taking a light sip. "Akai and I just wanted him to loosen up, that's all. Lower his inhibitions a bit. He's too tense, ya know? Didn't expect him to be so sensitive to it. Now that he's believing he's a cat and all..." 

Akai giggled then, a hand roaming around the edge of Kyou's shirt, though unable to go anywhere due to the duct tape.... "Kitty's seeensitive-URG!" He whimpered as Kyou had carelessly gripped Akai's wrist and wrenched it at in odd angle before letting go, wagging a finger.

"No touchy," Kyou hissed, then pocked Aki hard in the forehead so he toppled back.

Kuroi smirked at his partner's antics, then continued carelessly, "You're his date today or something? Because he didn't seem to happy when he was here before, but he's in a good mood _now_. And it's not like we're going to do anything he won't lik-" He went silent instantly as the glass in Haru's hand suddenly went flying, crashing into the bar area and smashing to the glass shelf. Glass flew everywhere, and the bar lady screamed and ducked for cover as a chain reaction of shattering glass took place.  
  
"Now look what you did," Kyou sighed, rolling his eyes, head lolling back in exasperation and drug-induced fatigue.   
  
"What!? What did we do," Kuroi cried, confused and panicked.  
  
He never got a chance to stand from his seat before Haru pounced.   
  
"SHINEEEE (DIIIIIE)!!!" 

Kyou saw Akai's expression of pure horror as he watched as his partner was tackled and thrown over the crazed pale guy's should like a rage doll.

He continued to gap like that until Kyou grunted and tapped him on the shoulder. Akai turned, what he saw was a rather… giddy… giddy-looking redhead. Yes, Kyou was feeling giddy. Very giddy. And snarling. "Don't think I didn't know," he slurred, poking the blonde hard in the chest again, knocking the boy to the ground. 

Kyou seemed totally oblivious of Haru's merciless beating of the Goth kid, or the crowd that was beginning to gather at the sight of the beating, or the bar lady as she made a swift escape, OR the bounces who were shoving their way through the room toward them. 

"I knew the whoooole damn time, blonde," the neko went on, standing with a surprising amount of coordination… 

(The thing is, the drug was supposed to be something to relax you… but it was going through the red-head's system rapidly, and in the most unpredictable way…)

"H-HUH!?"

"This," Kyou said, pointedly taking a fist full of the boy's shirt, red eyes flashing demonically, "is for being a shirt grabbing, perverted, molesting, ECHII, pretty boy sonofab*tch…" Oh, he sounded so calm, too…

Much like his friend, Akai didn't have time to even scream…

(A/N: Yes, Kyou's been pegged an "uke" by me… but he's not your average uke, as well as he will go down fighting that fact biting and clawing to the end. (GRIN) Who hates me right now?)

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
"Come on, open your shirt, Ha-san!"   
  
"Iie (no)."   
  
"But you look like a stiff! I'm not having my boyfri-"   
  
"If you finish that sentence, I'll never speak to you again."   
  
"And you're sweating all over! Pit stains are only attractive with muscle shirts! It's unattractive and unhealthy looking on a _dress_ _shirt_, Tori-san!"  
  
Hatori raised an eyebrow at Shigure before looking elsewhere, watching where he was going and who was near him. "And why are you do insistent about by personal hygiene?"   
  
Shigure gave a _wide_ grin. "It's my law. Aaalways say what's most likely to get the clothes off faster!"   
  
"Baka..." 

Shigure had been pestering him since they entered the club. It was unsurprising (even to Shigure himself) how easily he forgot their mission in the first place... But who could blame him! ^_^ After all, Hatori was still so young and cute! And then...

And then Shigure spotted something.

  
"Ne, Tori-san, what's that?"   
  
A laugh could be heard over the pounding music. "AHAHAHAHA!!! Take THAT!!!" 

That was followed by a screech of pain and terror.   
  
Oooh yes, this sounded familiar.   
  
Quickly Shigure spotted an empty table, and taking the opportunity he carefully climbed up so he could see over the crowd. Of course, his suspicions were proven correct.   
  
From the looks of it, Haru was busy throttling this dark-haired kid while another lay unconscious across the bar counter. All this he did with one hand (only Black Haru could do all that with one hand…) and in his other hand he gripped a liquor bottle, from which he took a swig from ever once in a while, screaming something that Shigure couldn't catch over the music. Kyou wasn't with him, however.   
  
No, Kyou was standing in the middle of a ring of people there at the edge of the dance floor, circling while in a fighting stance, a wide grin on his face. He was... oh dear...   
  
"What do you see," Hatori called up to him, having to cup his hands to his mouth to he heard.  
  
Shigure grimace, then laughed nervously. "Would you believe Haru is trying to kill some kid and Kyou is standing off against the bouncer?"   
  
Within a few seconds, Hatori had climbed onto the table as well. When he got a good look at the scene, he curses to himself. "Chi (shit)... This is going to be more difficult than I assumed."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Haru cackled, then took another long swig from his bottle. His reveled as the liquid burned his throat all the way to the pit of his stomach, making sure to take two huge gulps this time before stopping. The alcohol only fueled Black Haru's present thoughts, emotions, and twisted his rage into something completely different but not by far.  
  
'Someone wanted to touch Kyou.' 

'Someone wanted to take Kyou...'

'HA! Like hell! No one touched Kyou, no one!'

'Can't have that...'

  
Okay, maybe that wasn't all of Black Haru speaking. 

Maybe he was a little drunk.

Maybe he was about to be banned from the club and every club life.

But he didn't _care_! 

HE HAD A RIGHT TO HIS TERRITORY! And for once, White Haru had _let_ it happen. He didn't just Black Out, he'd given the green light to beat the crap out of this scum, ALL WAS WELL!!! "HAHAHAHAHA!!!" 

Nooo, Haru didn't like to share...

  
At that moment Kyou had managed to host the bouncer over his back, throwing him a fairly good distance. The man was sent flying over the bar counter, landing in a heap on the cement floor right next to the first bouncer who had tried to take down Kyou. It must had hurt considering the concrete and broken glass.

Ya know? For being drugged, drunk, or even stoned off his ass (Haru had no idea which) Kyou's wasn't showing it. Whatever he'd ingested HAD lowered him inhibition, and it sure has hell made him impressionable, and yeah, maybe it had made him more than a little relaxed. But whatever it was seemed to be going though his system FAST. It had to be, considering the way he was kicking ass left and right.

Kyou laughed, letting out what Haru would consider a "cute" warrior cry of victory ("BANZAI! VICTORY!! EAT THAT YOU $#%$%@$!!!") before going over to the counter and leaning over until he was practically lying flat on his stomach across the surface, legs dangling up behind him. 

It was a nice view, to say the least.

"Don't any of you guys have any fight in you," Kyou screamed to the man he'd just thrown, who remained still and silent in his unconsciousness. That didn't seem to stop Kyou from bragging to him. "HUH!? DON'T YOU!? _YOU_ _SUCK_!!" Kyou laughed to himself, again, until the laugher faded ever so lightly and he sighed to himself, going quiet. 

It was like he was going through massive mood swings of rage and mellow silence. Black Haru wondered if that's what it was like with him…? Ah, who give a s***.

"Neee, Haru," Kyou yawned, looking at Haru sleeping through half lidded eyes. He looked... CUTE... Yes, he looked CUTE, dammit! And sexy. "Haru, no more fighting today, I'm getting sleepy... Arms.., gettin' sort of heavy." His head thudded down on the counter as he let out another yawn and letting out a light curse.

So... very... _sexy_...

  
Kyou didn't know what he was doing at all. All he knew was that his chest felt oddly warm, like his lungs were on fire or something, a faint prickly heat. For some reason he was feeling the same sensation in his head, too. 

If he could've used any sort of his common sense at that moment, he would've actually realized the fact that one shot of... _whatever_ it was, COULDN'T 'VE gotten him like this. He didn't like feeling so.... "woozy"... or so relaxed. More relaxed then he should have felt...   
  
Haru, on the other hand, was just out of his mind at the moment. Kyou just knew it, and Kyou LOVED it! Watching Haru scream, curse, and fight was actually an exhilarating thing to watch.

Just beating the crap out of people was fun for some reason, even though half of them weren't even worth Kyou's time and effort, and every time he had to fight Kyou felt himself becoming more and more exhausted. And to think before he was feeling so nice…

But he didn't CARE! Ha! He didn't even care about that little voice in the back of his head that was screaming, "What the HELL was in that drink!!?!?"  
  
And at that moment Haru was tugging him upward, lifting him from under his arms until his feet were firmly standing on the bar counter. But Kyou didn't feel like getting up, so if Haru wanted to use up his energy and hold him up, than so be it. For the moment he simply let Haru hold up his limp, lazy body until he decided he didn't want to risk Haru dropping him to the floor... Black Haru didn't have a history of because that carefully about his physical well being. "Can't I get a moment's rest, kisama-oushi," he said with a lack of the usual fire and rage.

Wait, was he angry again…? Angry thoughts… Why, he had angry _thoughts_, but he's body wasn't responding to it....  
  
Heeh, at least this was working wonders for his blood pressure.   
  
While Kyou glared as fiercely as possible, Haru smirked, throwing his bottle aside, letting it crash to the floor in front of the counter and shatter. Before Kyou could scold him for making a mess, Haru proceeded to flick off his audience, who cheered in response. What was so great about that? Kyou could do that… which finger was that finger again…? Huh…  
  
"Can't touch this," Haru screamed.

Kyou was about to snort and say something regarding Haru's rather open display of stupidity, when Haru suddenly pinwheeled his arm around and smack him right in the-

__

THWACK!

The sheer force of the hit would have sent Kyou sailing right off the counter had Haru not steadied him with an arm around the waist. 

Had he been of the right mind the sheer shock of the experience would have sent him jumping ten feet into the air and shrieked so loud the whole room would hear him even over the music, sending a cold shiver down their spines.

Black Haru grinned, leering at Kyou, though didn't both to remove his hand from his…, then bellowed to the crowd, "Can't HAVE this!!!"

Kyou's eyes bulged right out of his skull, mind screaming, '_WTF_!? This was DEFINIATLY goes-this-this… WHAT WAS _THIS_!!?'

He was out of it. SO very out of it that not only didn't Kyou think to beat the crap out of the other boy, but he also didn't notice that Haru had practically hefted him off his feet. Kyou was being half carried half dragged off the counter, a screaming crowd in front of them, though he could no longer tell if they were pleased at Haru's spectacle or enraged.  
  
Kyou also didn't notice that Haru --while on his way to being totally wasted-- was too uncoordinated and slipped on his decent, tripping over the prone bodies on the floor, slipping on the broken glass and spilt liquor. Both Kyou and Haru went down hard.

It was somewhere along here that Kyou blacked out after an explosive blow to the top of his head, skull connecting harshly with the concrete floor.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
"I don't believe this," Hatori said.  
  
"I know... Who knew Haru had it in him-"   
  
GLARE. "What else did you tell him, Shigure..."   
  
"Nothing, I swear! You know his Black side when it's out of control, I have no control over _that_! Oh… LOOK!"

From the angle at which they were watching and because the crowd had moved in toward the bar their view of the scene was obstructed somewhat. 

But it wasn't hard to miss Haru as he slowly revealed himself. Only his head was visible to them, but it had to be him, the way it was illuminated a brilliant white under the fluorescent light of the bar.

Shigure could just make out an unconscious Kyou, slung over the cow shoulders as he made a quick exit around the side of the bar to the right, disappearing from view.  
  
"He's moving," Shigure said, following Haru's movements as far as he could, trying to figure out where they had gone to. They seemed to have left the crowd, but that could only mean…

Haru just took them to the back rooms. (4)

Shigure might have been a dog in both the figurative and literal sense most of the time, but he wasn't (though he didn't like to show otherwise) stupid, nor was he (humorlessly) cruel (though sometimes it was just too FUN to resist). Because in Haru and Kyou's conditions at the moment, if either of them did ANYTHING while not in their right minds, Kyou would surely never forgive Haru or himself.

And the lovely image he had of cat and cow together would be washed down the drain.

Reacting instantly, knowing he had to do _something_, get to them, for Haru and Kyou would never hear him even if he tried calling, Shigure jumped down from the table, ready to follow after the two boys.

This had been a very... _very_ bad move.

The table he and Hatori were standing on was the sort that was one circular disk on a metal cylinder pole, one end attached to the bottom of the table and the other end attached to the cement floor with large bolts. 

Somehow as Shigure relieved that table of his weight, it snapped under Hatori from where he still at one edge. Just… broke… There was the groaning sound of warping. aged wood, which could barely be heard over all the noise in the room. Then a sudden deafening **_SNAP!_** as the now obviously wooden pole holding up the table snapped, sending two empty classes, a light candle, a rain of food crumbs, and Hatori himself headfirst toward the wooden portion of the dance floor.

  
The really surprising thing was that even while Hatori fell, he did it with _style_. He didn't flail or pinwheel his arms, _no_! He held them carefully at his sides, preparing for impact. His eyes weren't wide in horror or fear, they were wide and _focused_ ahead of him, seeing what he was going to hit, all the time preparing himself. He didn't even make a sound (not that he would've been able to hear, anyway).

Shigure didn't really see what happened after that, it was really, really dark, after all, but the table was broken and on it's side, and there was-

*_POOF_!*

A puff of colored smoke…

'Aw, shoot...' 

Shigure hurried over to the other side of the table, and sure enough, there was a girl laying nearly facedown on the floor, cursing and rubbing her neck. And my, with her short skirt, Shigure got a really good view of-NO! No, back to the business at hand!!!

Lying near the girl was a pile of clothes...

"What the hell," the girl cried, looking over then. She noticed the clothes, then she noticed Shigure as he hurried over.

"Oh, sorry miss, that was my fault, these are mine!" He grabbed up the clothes, being very careful as he lifted them to hide the little seahorse that now lay nested in the fabric, and no doubt suffocating to death.

Without another word he was off again, moving along the wall as to lower the risk of touching anyone, heading to where he last saw Kyou and Haru. 

The bar...

He got there in record time, jumping over the railing and the two teens that seemed to have been the focus of Black Haru's rage a moment ago.

There at the counter (to his great luck) he found an abandoned glass of some sort of drink. He emptied it right their on the countertop and grabbed a salt container he saw which was at one point being used for martinis (3). Taking these supplies he _RAN_ to find the men's room.

He had, after all, never known Hatori to be much of an exhibitionist.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To be continued in... Red As Blood: "The Psychology of Color"

1) I think most bartenders at clubs are girls... I don't know why, but they are. Maybe it's a trust thing or something?

3) Urgh, it's true. Either they line the rims of martinis with salt or sugar... though I will have no idea what that tastes like for another year and 22 days.

4) A "back room", as I call it, is a private room. It's a room that people (or couples) can get and it's usually first come-first serve. The lighting is usually very… romantic… ~_~ Where couples go to have "alone" time and do what they will… anything that they will… (blush) Though I would like to note again I DO NOT DO LEMONS!!! Please don't expect smut from this!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This, and I say again, THIS is NOT a cliffie... Just think about it, of aaaaall the places where I COULD have stopped in this fic (where some authors would slip this into two parts just to tease) I did NOT! 

I could have stopped when Kyou was left alone with those two creeps... I could have stopped RIGHT after Hatori and Shigure got in there.... but no... I could even have stopped after Black Haru pounce, but I DID NOT!

Anyways… I CAN'T BELIEVE I _WROTE_ THAT!!! (BLUSH) I've never, ever posted a couple-based fic before, so this is very weird for me.

I have no idea when the next part will be out, but I've been mega-busy with school. College is a pain, and I really wanna keep up my GPA.

Fanart will have to come later, as I don't have the correct version of Photoshop handy. And, if you haven't gotten a response, if you want to me emailed for an update, just ask! And if you would like to receive fanart, also ask. And that you to all who like the first installment of fanart showing Kyou character design for this story, -^__^-

Review is you can! ^__~ And Happy B-Day to me and best friend, Gitta! We're 20 and 19 as of September 14th and 13th!

Geuna~

PS :

And I would like an opinion. Is anyone interested in a installment to tell of the events between "Black As Pitch" and "Red As Blood" when Kyou and Haru are getting to know each other on a lighter more casual note, like their moments during the school days, or being at Shigure's house. I'm not sure when it would be posted, sorta like a prequel to the others fics, but still. The thought

is funny... Black Haru having temper tantrums whenever someone insults his hair and Kyou newer reaction to it... Hana-chan getting waves and freaking out Kyou.... Shigure bugging them NONE-STOP about how Kyou makes such a _sweet_ housewife... (snorts) He forgets that dogs don't have nine lives like SOME people.

And on THAT note, I would like to say that Kyou is the "girl" or the relationship, only because Haru acted first… But as you can see, Kyou sure doesn't act like it. Even when knocked up with something he's beating the crap out of people for fun... but... what does the next part have for us!? WE SHALL SEE!!! HAHAHA!!!


End file.
